


Styx and Stones

by lycos_anthropos



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Kane Chronicles - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, M/M, Suicide Attempt, hades is a good father, ships aren't really important in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-02-02
Packaged: 2018-01-10 21:49:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1164933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lycos_anthropos/pseuds/lycos_anthropos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico tries to kill himself and Hades makes Percy try to pick up the pieces. Originally on fanfiction.net.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Nico sat alone on the bank of the River Styx, reflecting on his life. He had one real friend, his mother and sister were dead, his father wasn’t even human, he was a pale, scrawny loser with no real home, and even though he had pretty much single-handedly just stopped the apocalypse, everyone saw him as some kind of freak to be avoided like the plague. It honestly just wasn’t worth it to waste more time on this planet.

Without another thought, Nico rose to his feet and jumped head-first into the River of Hate.

The next thing he knew, he was sinking to the bottom, but it didn't hurt as much as Percy said it had. He could even breathe underwater, and his soul separating from his body wasn't nearly as painful as he'd have thought. In fact, it was almost enjoyable, like he was finally free and shedding every bad experience he’d ever had. This is it, he thought, I'm finally done. Nico closed his eyes and succumbed to the current for a moment before appearing soaking wet in front of his dad's throne.

It felt like any other time he'd been in his father's throne room, and why was he even there in the first place, shouldn't he be in Judgment? Reality struck Nico hard; he wasn't dead, he was in really big fucking trouble.

"What were you doing?" Hades asked his son. Not that he didn't already know; he could see his son's thoughts as he was dying. He was the god of the afterlife for Christ's sake, he could tell when his son was dying. Seeing Nico's expression, Hades knew he wasn't getting an answer, or at least not one that wouldn't make him feel guilty.

Nico could barely think straight. With a jolt, he realized he wasn’t given the curse of Achilles. Too bad, really; that could have made the task at hand far simpler. The demigod looked at his father, into eyes even more distasteful than usual. "F-father, I-"

"Go back to camp," said Hades, disgust in every syllable. If this was a cry for attention, the brat wasn't going to get his way. He snapped his fingers and sent his son to what was possibly his least favorite place on Earth; Camp Half-Blood.

Nico tumbled into his cabin, not quite sure about what just happened. It was just as he left it (as it should be, he was the only one who ever went in there- even cleaning harpies avoided his cabin), Greek fire burning in the sconces and Mythomagic figurines lined up according to attack power. After changing into dry clothes, making sure his books were alphabetized, and taking a minute to straighten the figurines (he really didn’t care about neatness, he was just trying to postpone the inevitable), Nico walked into the painfully bright valley known as Camp Half-Blood.

There was still a week before the summer crowd went back to school, so camp was pretty packed. Nico slipped out of his cabin, deciding to skirt around the edges of the valley and slither into the forest, but an all too familiar voice stammered, "Nico?"

Busted.

"Hey, Percy," Nico said unenthusiastically. The son of Poseidon may be dense, but he had a knack for knowing when something was wrong, and he wouldn’t rest until he knew what. Nico wasn't very excited to tell his… friend that he had just tried to kill himself. Maybe you should've thought of that before you jumped into the river, the rational part of him thought. I figured I would be dead and wouldn't have to tell him, shot back the cynical part.

"I just got this really weird message from your dad and- where are you going?" Percy called as Nico started tromping toward the forest. "Nico!" Hades's message had seriously scared Percy. Nico was just a kid; he couldn't be doing things like that! He was too full of unrealized potential to try to take his own life. Not wanting to give Nico a chance to try anything else, Percy raced after Nico, thanking the gods that Nico wasn’t making much of an effort to move quickly.  


The son of Hades barely made it 500 yards before Percy caught up to him. "Leave me alone, Percy," he muttered. "I'm not in the mood to talk." He tried to escape, but Percy grabbed his hand, knowing his undersized cousin wouldn't be able to escape. At four-foot, ten and less than 100 pounds, Nico was almost adorably small. And Percy intended to use that to his advantage.

"We need to talk, Nico," he said soberly. "Your dad just sent me a message saying-"

"I jumped into the Styx because I wanted it to sever my soul from my body and would be dead right now if he hadn't interfered?" Nico finished, speaking without emotion.

Searching his face, Percy couldn't see any either. Had his cousin really been that ready to throw his life away? Either way, Nico needed help. “Come on, Nico. Let's go-"

"Go where?" Nico interrupted again, "Everyone here hates me. I have no family in the mortal world. My dad… Dad doesn't want to see me right now, and anyway, he doesn't really like company. Especially you."

"Then where were you planning on shadow traveling to just now?" Percy countered. He wouldn't be letting Nico out of his sight for a while, and getting an idea of where he might try to escape to could be helpful.

"None of your business," he mumbled. Perfect, Percy spent most of his time in "None of your business", he practically lived there.

"Come on, you can tell me," Percy promised, eyes open and trusting. Nico couldn’t help but feel safe when looking into his sea-green irises.

"I go into the city a lot when I feel like getting out of the Underworld. I really don't spend as much time down there as people think." Nico had stopped struggling. There was no way he was going to be able to overpower Percy, given that he had nearly a foot on him. He certainly wasn’t going to let go willingly. Nico just had to think of a way to outsmart him.

"Who do you stay with? Or do you have like, your own secret apartment?" Percy wondered. Nico may not look like much, but people would be surprised how many "friends" a son of Hades could make in the big, bad city.

Nico mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?" Percy asked.

"I sleep on the street, okay?" he demanded.

As a matter of fact, that was _not_ okay. Nico was just a kid, and a small one at that. Demigod or not, he could get seriously hurt out there alone. "Nico," Percy said. "You know you can stay with me whenever, right?" That was good, he thought, it made him feel welcome, but not like he’s weak or can't take care of himself.

"Why? Because I'm weak can't take care of myself?" the fourteen-year-old demanded. Even Percy thinks I can't do anything right, Nico thought miserably. I'm done. As soon as I can get away from him, I'm done.

To Nico’s relief, the question made Percy nervous enough to loosen his grip. Before Percy realized what happened, Nico had shaken himself loose and was halfway to the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Percy," Nico said unenthusiastically. The son of Poseidon may be dense, but he had a knack for knowing when something was wrong, and he wouldn’t rest until he knew what. Nico wasn't very excited to tell his… friend that he had just tried to kill himself. Maybe you should've thought of that before you jumped into the river, the rational part of him thought. I figured I would be dead and wouldn't have to tell him, shot back the cynical part.

"I just got this really weird message from your dad and- where are you going?" Percy called as Nico started tromping toward the forest. "Nico!" Hades's message had seriously scared Percy. Nico was just a kid; he couldn't be doing things like that! He was too full of unrealized potential to try to take his own life. Not wanting to give Nico a chance to try anything else, Percy raced after Nico, thanking the gods that Nico wasn’t making much of an effort to move quickly.

The son of Hades barely made it 500 yards before Percy caught up to him. "Leave me alone, Percy," he muttered. "I'm not in the mood to talk." He tried to escape, but Percy grabbed his hand, knowing his undersized cousin wouldn't be able to escape. At four-foot, ten and less than 100 pounds, Nico was a complete shrimp. And Percy intended to use that to his advantage.

"We need to talk, Nico," he said soberly. "Your dad just sent me a message saying-"

"I jumped into the Styx because I wanted it to sever my soul from my body and would be dead right now if he hadn't summoned me to his throne?" Nico finished, speaking without emotion. 

Searching his face, Percy couldn't see any either. Had his cousin really been that ready to throw his life away? Yes or no, Nico needed help. “Come on, Nico. Let's go-"

"Go where?" Nico interrupted again, "Everyone here hates me. I have no family in the mortal world. My dad… Dad doesn't want to see me right now, and anyway, he doesn't really like company. Especially you."

"Then where were you planning on shadow traveling to just now?" Percy countered. He wouldn't be letting Nico out of his sight for a while, and getting an idea of where he might try to escape to could be helpful.

"None of your business," he mumbled. Obviously he wasn't willing to give away too many details.

"Come on," Percy demanded. When Nico dug his heels in the ground, refusing to move, Percy simply swept his arm under Nico's legs and carried him to his cabin. His heart seemed to stop and beat a mile a minute at the same time, fully aware of exactly how much they were touching. Despite his size and general disorientation, Nico was strong and put up a good fight all the way to the Poseidon cabin. Percy got the feeling that if he was anyone else, Nico would've taken out his sword and sucked out Percy's soul.

And he wonders why I want it to end, thought Nico, He just humiliated me in front of literally the entire camp. Relax Nico, he can't keep you here forever.

"Okay Nico. What happened? You can tell me the whole story," Percy knew Nico wouldn't crack very easily, but he wasn't expecting to turn around and see Nico crouched against the wall, chin on his knees, tears streaming silently but steadily down his cheeks. "Uh…" Percy wasn't sure what to do, so he grabbed a tissue out of the box on his dresser and handed it to his cousin. "You really should talk about this," said Percy gently, kneeling beside the smaller boy.

"Drop it, Percy!" Nico snapped, "Now just… leave me alone."

"Why? So you can find another way to k-kill yourself that your father won't be able to interrupt?"

Percy regretted what he said the second it left his mouth; he should be helping Nico, not judging him. The boy sat staring into space, a blank look on his face. He was swaying slightly. It was a full minute before Percy could get his attention."N-nico? Are you okay, buddy?" Percy cringed; Nico hated being called that. He thought back to the Labyrinth, how Annabeth was the one who convinced Nico to come back to camp. “Will you talk to Annabeth?

"No Percy, I'm not going to talk about it!" Nico shot up like a cork, heat rising to his face. His head was spinning now, but he ignored it; he was used to being dizzy. “Not to you, not to Annabeth, not to Zeus himself!”

“I’m just trying to help,” Percy muttered, annoyed. Didn’t this kid know what was good for him?

"Percy, can we just… let’s finish this tomorrow. I'm really tired," and he looked it. His eyes were being drawn together like magnets.

"Fine," sighed Percy, taking pity on his troubled cousin; it was getting pretty late, and there was no denying it had been a long day, "but you're sleeping here. And you had better be here in the morning."


	3. Chapter 3

Nico's heart skipped a beat. Though he formulated a plan almost instantly, he was tempted to stay and take the chance to spend the night in Percy's cabin. Reluctantly, he shook himself out of his thoughts and asked, "Can I get something from my cabin really quick? I'll be right back."

"I know you will," replied Percy, and for a second Nico thought he was home free, "Because I'm going with you."

This complicates things, thought Nico, but it's still possible. As soon as Nico stepped out of the cabin, he skipped a few steps ahead of Percy then willed his body to merge with the shadows,transporting him to his little alleyway on 32nd Street. Unfortunately, Percy had grabbed on to him a second before he disappeared and the son of Poseidon came along for the ride.

It took Nico almost twice as much energy to transport two people as oppose to just himself. "Perrrrcy," he groaned, "What in Hades would possess you to do that?" Shadow traveling while drowsy was always a bad idea, but taking somebody with you tripled the chances of ending up in China (something Nico already had trouble with).

"I figured you would stop once you realized I'd grabbed onto you!" Secretly though, Percy was glad; he knew Nico wouldn't leave him alone in the city at night, as if he was the one who'd grown up there and Percy was the one in need of protection. The kid was good like that; no matter how bad things looked for him, he refused to leave his friends alone.

"Whatever. I don't wanna risk trying to take you back to camp. I don't really feel like leaving the country. We'll just have to stay here for the night," Nico didn't seem to have any qualms about sleeping in a dark, dirty alleyway; in fact, he seemed more comfortable there than he had at Camp Half-Blood. He just curled into a ball and laid his bomber jacket over himself like a blanket.

Percy had none of his calm, "Won't people see us? Things happen in the city, Nico. I don't care how often you do this, it isn't safe. My apartment's only-"

"No one's gonna bother us, Percy. Not once they see me." Nico mumbled. He was already almost asleep.

"What do you mean, 'Not once they see you?'" asked Percy, almost laughing. He would never say this to Nico's face, but Nico looked like every muggers dream; small, scrawny, alone (usually), expensive-looking ring on his finger. Seriously, what was up with that? Percy meant to ask a million times but always chickened out at the last minute. Anyway, Nico was going to get seriously hurt one of these days.

"I know what I'm doing Percy. I've made some friends, scared off some enemies. We'll be fine," When was Percy going to get that he wasn't some weak little kid anymore? He closed his eyes and refused to say another word for the rest of the night.

Percy was unnerved. The city was creepy, and he highly doubted Nico had actually managed to scare off anyone worthwhile. The kid looked so small and innocent. Finally, realizing he had no other choice, Percy lay down and closed his eyes, trying not to think about the one-in-ten chance they would wake up in one piece. One piece each, that is. If they woke up in one piece together they would have much bigger problems to worry about.

Nico awoke in the early hours of the morning. Percy just couldn't get it; his life was too perfect to understand why anyone would want to do what Nico had done. Everyone liked Percy. They respected him almost as much as they respected the gods. The dead respected Nico, out of fear at least. To him, it made the most sense that he should be with them.

Now that it was getting brighter out, Nico didn't feel so bad leaving Percy. He'd never be able to outrun him, and Percy was sure to notice if he left, no matter how deeply asleep he seemed to be. Nico was still too drained for shadow travel. He formed a plan. Not a very good plan, but a plan nonetheless.

"Help!" Nico screamed, running away from Percy, "He's trying to kill me!" It was a sketchy plan, but he might be able to pull it off if he times it right. It was New York City, and the streets were always packed regardless of time.

Percy went racing after him, desperate to help, "Nico!" He wasn't going to let anybody hurt his cousin. Wait, Percy realized, if Nico is so determined to die, why would he care if someone else does it for him? After a minute, a thought dawned on him, that sneaky little devil.

A line of thugs stood between Nico and Percy. "This kid bothering you, Nico?" asked the largest one. It really was comical; he was muscly and dark, almost two feet taller than Nico, and yet, here he was taking orders from a scrawny white boy.

But Nico didn't answer; he just ran. Unfortunately, he ran right into a tall, powerful looking businessman. "Hey, buddy. Where are your mommy and daddy? Do you want me to help you find them?" Percy thought Nico would kill the man. Instead, he stared blankly.

"Wh-what? No!" Nico sputtered, "I don't want- no!"

"I'll buy you ice cream," coaxed the man.

"Ice- what? How old do you think I am?" demanded the Ghost King. "No, really," he added when the business man stuttered, "Tell me how old I look!"

"Uh-oh," said Percy and the thugs simultaneously.

"I'd say about… nine?" the man replied, thinking it'd be good to go up a year.

Nine… Nico mumbled to himself; that was the final insult. He made to walk away, pulling his sword out before moving completely out of sight.

Percy didn't waste time on thoughts. Shoving his way through the thugs, he chased after Nico; just because the blade wouldn't absorb his soul didn't mean he could live with it sticking through his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to apologize for this entire chapter, and the next one because they fucking suck. I originally had this going in a much different direction, and it wasn't until chapter 6 that I realized how stupid that direction was. But I couldn't find a way to work this out, so please forgive it's ghastliness.


	4. Chapter 4

Percy tackled his cousin, realizing only after how stupid it was; it was all too possible both demigods would end up dead. "Nico, you're coming back to camp," Percy ordered. Before Nico could argue, he did a strong cab-whistle, "Blackjack!" he called.

"Percy, you know Blackjack hates me," Nico sighed. But at least he tried to hide it, even if it was only for Percy's benefit.

"No he doesn't, and even if he did, I don't care; you're coming back to camp," Percy was not about to let Nico try shadow travel while he was this weak, and he really couldn't think of another way to get back to camp. A few seconds late, a dark shape descended on them from the sky.  _Hey, boss. Need a- oh dang, you got Death Boy with you? Alright, where you two be goin'?_

_Just back to camp, Blackjack. Thanks._  Percy knew why Blackjack wasn't very fond of Nico; he smelled like death. But the Pegasus would never leave Percy or his friends stranded.

_Hop on,_  Blackjack said in Percy's mind. After giving Nico a boost, Percy hopped on back, making sure Nico couldn't "accidentally" fall off.

Nico was breathing heavy when he dismounted; he'd figured he must have asthma or something, because it was happened a lot. Nobody had noticed they left; aside from dinner, Percy hadn't missed any activities, and nobody had even known Nico was at camp. After being lead back to the Hades cabin (Percy figured Nico would be more comfortable there), Nico asked, "What do you want me to say, Percy?"

"Why did you do it?" Percy questioned, "What was so special about yesterday?"

"Nothing, really. I'd been thinking about it for a while," Nico admitted shamefully, ignoring the tears stinging his eyes. "Nobody likes me. My entire family is dead. And you can't seem to get it through your thick skull that I don't need a babysitter twenty-four seven!" Nico added angrily. Some tears escaped, and he was getting harder to understand, "You need to understand that I'm not a little kid anymore!" Nico accepted that might not seem very convincing in a room full of McDonalds Happy Meal toys and card-game figurines, but he couldn't really find a fuck to give.

"I like you. Annabeth likes you. And Grover-"

"Give it up, Percy. I know you three only talk to me because you still feel guilty about Bianca." He threw himself down on his bed, which looked more like a coffin to Percy. He was about to go over and comfort his cousin, when he heard a knock at the door. "Should I get that?" Percy asked uncertainly.

Nico flung a hand in the air in a gesture that looked like, "fine", so Percy stalked over to the door and found Annabeth on the other side. "Uh, now's not really a good time Annabeth," Percy said nervously, not bothering to wonder why she was visiting Nico in the first place. He wasn't entirely sure how she would react to the situation, or if Nico even wanted her to know.

Ignoring Percy's warning, Annabeth peered into the cabin. "Why is Nico crying in a coffin?" she asked, "Oh, gods, is that a bed?" She walked over to the boy in an attempt to soothe him. "Nico, what happened? Did Percy say something stupid?" She added that last part as a joke, but Nico took it seriously.

"Why must you  _always_ assume it was Percy's fault? Am I not capable of making my own mistakes or something?"

"Um…" Annabeth stuttered. Usually Nico managed to stay calm, and if he did blow up like that, it didn't last. "Come on, what's up? You can talk to me, you know that, right?

"I tried to kill myself," Nico said bluntly. He watched as the news sunk in.

"But… Nico, you of all people should see the value of life," Annabeth replied. She sounded unsure; even the daughter of Athena didn't know what she was supposed to say.

"The only reason people behave in life is so they can be blessed in death," replied Nico, "I've been in the Fields of Punishment. A week helping Sisyphus push his boulder wasn't nearly as bad as being a wallflower on Earth," Nico countered. He'd put a lot of thought into this, and did  _not_ appreciate being undermined.

Percy was taken aback. "Nico, how long have you been thinking about this?" Percy asked, hoping for answers.

"I still don't see how this is any of your business," deflected Nico.

"Your dad asked me to talk some sense into you. And you told Annabeth yourself," Percy replied. Finally, a fight he could win. "Now talk to us."

"What do you want me to say? I'm a useless loser with no friends or family. I'm practically a zombie, and I'm not even welcome in the one place all demigods are supposed to be safe!" They would never understand. Those two were too important to realize that some people just... weren't.

"Nico, of course you're welcome here. You have a cabin, right?" Percy replied, trying to calm his cousin; more people could come if they heard yelling, and that would probably just make things worse.

"Yeah, because  _you_  twisted Zeus's arm," Nico shot back. Percy could be really dense sometimes. Nico stood up quickly, intending to leave the cabin, but the prism on his dresser lit up before he got halfway across the room.

It was a collect I.M. Upon tossing in a Drachma, Nico was greeted with his Hades's ever-glowing face. "Father?" he knelt and bowed his head reverently before saying more, which seemed like overkill to Percy and Annabeth; god or not, Hades was Nico's dad.

"Did I send good help?," Hades asked. Was it Percy's imagination, or did he see real worry on the god's face?

"Yes Father," Nico agreed, "Percy's been very helpful."

"And the girl?" Hades pushed.

"You sent Annabeth? I thought…" Nico trailed off, looking hurt.

"You did not send me! Annabeth argued. I heard yelling and-"

"Do you really think you'd be able to hear Nico's childish screaming while you were half asleep in the Athena cabin?" Hades reasoned. "You may have chosen to come on your own, but I'm the reason you knew there was something to come to. Now, give me a moment alone with my son."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah so apparently i had chapter 6 posted twice for the last however many months this is actually chapter five

"I have no idea what I'm doing," Percy admitted as soon as the door closed. He felt close to a panic attack. "Nico's just a kid. But kids don't try to drown themselves. Kids don't sleep alone in alleyways in the city. Kids don't lose their entire family to godly forces. Kids don't spend more time with the dead than the living. Kids don't have their memories erased. Kids don't- kids just don't do that stuff; it's not natural!" Percy was confused. One minute, Nico was a normal fourteen-year-old who ate McDonalds and played trading card games, and the next he was sullen, distant, and ready to jump off a bridge!

"Percy," Annabeth said gently. She was at least as confused as he was, but took it upon herself to be the rational one, "I think that's what Nico was trying to tell you; he's not a kid anymore." Did she really believe that? No, but Nico did, and at the moment, that was what really mattered.

"Mmm…" Percy mumbled.

"What 'mmm'?" Annabeth demanded. "mmm" wasn't fitting with the conversation.

"I'm not even sure what's really bothering him. He keeps saying he's depressed because people don't accept him, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him actually try to make friends."  
“Percy it’s just not that easy for some people to just walk up and start a conversation.”

“We could-”

“Percy think of it like this: imagine your first day at any school. Everyone there already knows each other. All they know about you is what you look like and how you hold yourself. Now imagine most of the people in your class knew you for a little bit before about a billion life changing situations. And all of them have heard rumors. You don’t know which ones, but everyone’s kind of glancing at you and whispering to their friends. That’s what it’s like for Nico at camp.”

“But if he just-”

“And then you’re afraid to say anything to anyone because you just know you’re gonna say something stupid.”

“Well then what can we do?” Percy asked. Annabeth shook her head in defeat.

 

"Get up. How can you expect me to talk to you when I can't see your face?" Hades demanded. When Nico obliged, the god continued, "Now, what were you even thinking?" Nico told his father the entire story, from the river bank to what happened in the city, keeping his face free of emotion, knowing his voice would follow if he didn't, and that could be embarrassing with Annabeth and Percy right outside.

"Dumbass," Hades said as his son finished his story, "Do you realize that mortals are completely incapable of seeing the benefits of death? They see it as a loss. Mortals just can’t get that death is necessary. Without it, the world would overflow. People like Medea and Jack the Ripper would be free to wreak havoc forever. The reason they don't like you is because they don't think. They're dense, rash beings that don't know how to think further than their next mistress," For some reason, Nico got the feeling they were no longer talking about him.

"Uh… My Lord?" Nico asked.

"They saw what happened with Sisyphus, and still those morons on Olympus can't understand why everyone can’t be immortal. How could mortals be expected to know better?" Nico was surprised to find that his father was actually making sense. "Now," Hades continued, "Can I trust that you won't come back to my realm without your body any time soon?"

"Yes, My Lord. But-"

"'But'?" asked Hades. What was it going to take for this boy to realize that the only people who don’t like him are beneath him?

"Why did you let Hitler kill himself?" asked Nico. On most other days, he would have been worried a stupid question like that would have gotten him grounded in Punishment again (it may have happened a bit more often than he’d lead Percy and Annabeth to believe), but he figured his father would let it slide, given the circumstances.

"Do you actually know what Hitler did?" Hades asked. Nico nodded in understanding. “Any more stupid questions?”

"No, My Lord.” The message ended and Nico opened his door for Percy and Annabeth.

"Did you have a good talk?" Annabeth asked. Hades may have had good intentions, but gods sometimes didn't realize that mortal minds work differently than theirs.  
"He told me what I needed to hear,” Nico affirmed. “And that I’m a better person than Hitler.”

"What does Hitler have to do with anything?" Percy asked, confused.

Nico ignored him and looked at his watch He was relieved to see that it was almost time for lunch. "Can we get food now?" he asked, "I haven't eaten in over two days, and I'm just getting the feeling that that's not healthy."


	6. Chapter 6

Percy and Annabeth, not wanting to ruin Nico's new-found good mood, decided to talk about something happy- like the next Great Prophecy that could possibly destroy the world. "So when do you think it's gonna happen?" Percy asked.

"Probably sometime in the next century," Nico reasoned. "I just hope nobody spends fifty years in a casino because of it," he added as a joke.

"Yeah, but with our luck-"

"Percy, all demigods have bad luck," Annabeth reminded him. "I'm sure there were plenty of half-bloods from the fifties who thought they were going to be the hero, too."

Nico grinned sadly as he listened to them quarrel. His shoulders drooped relief when he realized he wouldn't have to worry about who to sit with, as he would at a normal camp. As a thanks to Hades for not having any other kids, Nico dropped almost half of his cheeseburger into the fire.

The son of Hades could feel Percy's gaze on him all throughout the meal, but pretended not to notice. Instead, he pondered his father's advice. I don't want to stay where I'm not wanted… And the Underworld doesn't seem very appealing at the moment. Picking at his dinner, Nico formed a wobbly solution to his problem.

After summoning a mouse skeleton, the fourteen-year-old sent it to his cabin to fetch a pen and some paper (it exhausted him far more than he would have liked, but Percy would get suspicious if he just up and left). He scribbled a quick note for his cousin and waited patiently for Chiron to dismiss the campers to their activities. Nico summoned a human skeleton (which most of the campers ignored) and made it give the note to Percy.

While the son of Poseidon was struggling to decipher the purposely messy note, Nico was in the forest, shadow-traveling to New Orleans.

To be fair, Nico did tell Percy where he was going. He told him not to worry, and he'd probably be back soon. He just did it in a way that would distract Percy long enough in order for him to actually get to his destination.

Nico stumbled into his favorite graveyard slightly nauseous and with a crushing headache. Shuffling around, he tried to get his bearings. Once he had a general idea of where exactly he was he could locate that pine tree that always seemed to calm him down. It took him all of ten minutes to get situated. He just had to get away from all those people. It seemed stupid in retrospect, but it felt like everybody was just... watching him. Waiting for him to do something stupid or weird.

He didn't exactly want to be liked (at least not after that talk with his father), because then he would have to talk to people, and that was just something he was not very good at. He was always the kid who stood at the corner of the playground organizing his Mythomagic cards. Speaking of Mythomagic...

Grinning, the Ghost King pulled out an impressive deck, each labeled with a Greek god or monster. Even after so many years of playing, Nico was all around awful. He knew how to spot the packs with the best cards, he understood the myths. Hell, he even was even good at the video game! But the second he tried for a card battle he was dead. Really though, how were you supposed to keep track of who had played what? He'd always treated them more as a collectors item than anything; they were just as organized as the figurines on his desk.

He was about to begin reorganizing (again) when a strangely familiar voice said, "What are you doing out of the Underworld?"

Now being the scrawny, antisocial, hot-tempered son of Hades, Nico had heard some cruel insults. But that was just rude. "Excuse me?" he asked, before really looking at his company. He was a death god, Nico realized immediately, but certainly not one he recognized. Mystery god looked and acted young, much younger than any Greek god would normally appear, Nico got the feeling this guy was yesterday's news even before Kronos was born. "Do I-? Who are you?" That sounded mildly respectful, right?

"I am Anubis, god of funerals, as you should well kn- you're not dead," he realized halfway through his sentence. The vermilion tinge quickly spreading from his neck to his cheeks said he was sorry (humiliated) for his mistake.

"What? I'm not? Thank you for telling me, I could've never figured that out on my own." Nico slumped back against the tree, now in a significantly worse mood than he was in before the Egyptian (?) god acknowledged him.

"I apologize. But you should know you smell very heavily of death. Did you recently have a near death experience? Or- are you another death god? I cannot begin to apologize for not recognizing you." Nico rolled his eyes at how stupidly this supposedly all-powerful being was rambling at the thought of forgetting a lesser god. Then again, he'd seen Greek gods do pretty stupid things as well. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Anubis interrupted himself, "Wait- are you even Egyptian?"

"Son of Hades," he mumbled sticking out his hand, "Nico di Angelo."

"A Greek. Your gods don't usually let us run into each other," Anubis said, amused. "Seems a little paranoid to me."

"They have good reason." Nico replied, not quite paying attention. When he realized how stupid that statement sounded to someone who wasn't up to his neck in Greco-Roman celestial politics he face-palmed and commanded, "Forget I said that." The Mythomagic deck was back in his hands before Anubis could argue.

"You play Mythomagic?" Anubis seemed really excited about this revelation. Embarrassingly so.

"Uh-huh." Nico was rightfully put off from his enthusiasm. "Well, the video game; I just collect the cards." After a second he muttered, "I couldn't figure out how you're supposed to use them."

"Want me to teach you?" Anubis's eyes looked like they belonged to the puppy he was.

It's not like I have anything better to do, Nico thought to himself. "Why not?"


	7. Chapter 7

"...And those are the basics," Anubis concluded an hour and a half later. Nico didn't understand the game any better but his new friend had just gotten so into it; he didn't have the heart to slow him down. "You wanna try for yourself? I'll go easy on you."

"Why not," Nico sighed, "Wait, what do you do when-"

"Nico! There you are!" Percy came running toward him with relief in his eyes, looking like he just finished running from Marathon to Athens.

"Percy?" Nico stuttered, "What're you- why did you follow me here?"

"I was worried about you! You ju- who the heck is that?" Percy noticed Anubis and moved his hand inconspicuously toward his pocket, ready to attack or defend. If Percy had to guess, he'd say he was another child of Hades or something.

"I am Anubis, god of funerals. And I'm assuming you're Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon? I must say, I thought you'd be… brighter." Anubis smiled slyly and Nico turned bright red, but Percy just looked annoyed.

"Look, I just wanted to make sure my friend was okay-"

"And I just wanted someone to play Mythomagic with," Anubis interrupted, "So now that you've seen that he's fine, you can leave us be."

"Nico come on, you need to come back to camp," Percy commanded, ignoring Anubis.

"I'm fine here, Percy!" Nico argued, letting his temper get the better of him, "Now leave us alone; we were about to start a game." Nico's voice wavered when he saw Percy' shoulders droop. He was just trying to help, but being surrounded by so many happy, carefree campers was just about the last thing he needed right now. Twisting his shirt in his hands he mumbled, "I'm sorry I just… I want to be alone right now. With a friend."

"O-oh," Percy stuttered, his face falling, "Yeah, sure. I mean, I kind of thought we were friends but… yeah. I'll- I'll see you around, I guess."

Nico cursed himself, and started following after Percy. "Percy that's not what I-"

"No Nico, it's cool. Really. I get it. Enjoy your game."

Angry with himself and not thinking, Nico kicked the nearest gravestone; he regretted it before his foot even made contact. Foot throbbing, he sat down on the grass and gathered his cards. "Let's just play."

Anubis looked curiously at the son of Hades, but didn't say anything as he proceeded to whoop his ass at Mythomagic.

Nico and Anubis didn't even notice when dusk fell, just the sudden realization that they had no idea what was in their hands. They may have thrived in the night, but that didn't change the fact that they couldn't see shit when the sun went down. By eight-thirty, they were absolutely blind.

"I suppose we should end this here?" Anubis said gloomily. He had been enjoying being in the company of a human who seemed so unperturbed by his godliness.

"Yeah. Thanks for teaching me how to play," agreed Nico gratefully, "It was kind of embarrassing talking about Mythomagic so much and then having to explain that i couldn't actually play whenever someone asked for a match," he said, brushing Anubis's arm.

"It was no problem; I enjoyed myself," Anubis assured him sincerely. God or not, beating someone at something you love is more satisfying than a bucket full of ambrosia. "We should do this again some time," he added hopefully, "Maybe get to know each other a little better."

As he realized the implications of Anubis's proposition, Nico's pale face turned pink. "Uh. Yeah. Yeah!" he stuttered, "Sounds great."

"I'll be in touch," Anubis promised, melting into the shadows.

Nico closed his eyes and sunk to the ground. Did that really just happen? One minute he was chasing after Percy and the next he was making plans with a god. This was disgusting, unnatural… wrong. People like him were mistakes the fates couldn't weave out. But if it was so wrong, then why was Anubis, a freaking god hitting on him?

It wasn't fair. As if he didn't have enough to deal with being a son of Hades, he had to be sucked out of his time because Zeus was a whiney little bitch. And then, not at all long enough after finally rejoining the world, his sister, the only person he'd ever trusted, had to go and get herself killed by a giant robot. And that still wasn't enough.

Percy freaking Jackson, the most annoying, slow-witted, dense, entitled, perfect human being on the planet, had to be the one to tell him the news. And he knew. He knew that no matter what happened, Percy would always be there to fix it and make it ten times worse. He was impossibly infuriating in every way, and Nico didn't know what to do about it. Blinking away tears and shaking his head, Nico made to return to the one place he truly fit in… or at least didn't stick out. The point is, he was back in the Underworld in a matter of minutes.


	8. Chapter 8

Nico couldn't imagine his father being too happy to see him after their last embarrassing encounter. He figured Hades would just ignore him until he decided to leave or something. Being swept away from his destination immediately after materializing threw him completely off balance, and he tumbled into his father's throne room on his hands and knees. "What the fu-" he spluttered, head spinning. "Hello, Father."

"You couldn't even spend a week up there? I couldn't get one week off?" Hades asked, annoyed. "Most gods only have to deal with their kids a few times in their lifetimes!"

"I couldn't stay at camp," he mumbled, "Percy and I had a fight and I didn't want to deal with him. And nobody made you call me here! I would have been perfectly fine on my own." Nico leaned against the back wall, glaring at his father in a way that surely would have gotten anybody else vaporized.

"Given the circumstances of our last meeting, I felt obligated to make sure you were… coping."

"Why?"

"Why did I want to make sure my only son wasn't still planning on killing himself?" Hades retorted, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You really aren't the sharpest sword in the armory, are you?"

Nico hung his head, trying to ignore the tears prickling his eyelids. "Come on Nico, think. Adolf Hitler, Stephen Akinmurele, Vincent Van Gogh- you're hardly the first of my children to become suicidal." Hades leaned back in his throne, taking in his son. He was a scrawny little thing, not at all what most would call attractive. His left eye drooped and his hair looked like it hadn't been washed in days, let alone combed. His clothes were old rags and he really should have gotten braces years ago. Compared to his brothers' kids, Nico could be described as little more than a joke. "But you are the first I've had a chance to help."

Nico blinked, accidentally allowing a tear to escape, but Hades either didn't notice or chose not to say anything. Okay who am I kidding, of course he noticed, he's a fucking god, for Christ's sake. "So who was that kid you were talking to in New Orleans?"

It seems like your tongue always chooses the most inconvenient moments to swell to twice its size. It certainly did for Nico, which made choking out, "You mean Percy?" much more difficult than it needed to be.

"Don't try to be smart, it's embarrassing for both of us. The one you played the stupid card game with."

Nico internally cursed himself for being so pale. The blood that rushed to his face was most definitely apparent to anyone who happened to be within a five-mile radius. "Oh, him… that- that was Anubis. The god. From Egypt. He's in charge of funerals."

Hades rolled his eyes. What happened to the good old days when every other man you saw was shacking up with a dude on the side? "Okay," he said. He just hoped this wasn't why his son decided to take the plunge. "Guy's a major pushover."

"I thought he seemed cool," Nico challenged.

"What you think is cool and what normal people think is cool are two very different things, kid," Hades jested, "You're dismissed."

Nico stalked back to his room in the palace, pondering his father's words. He hadn't thought anyone would really miss him if he died. Well, not until they needed another undead army to back them up, but they probably had at least a month until another hothead tried to take over the world. He arrived at his extravagant quarters and flopped down on the king-sized bed. The black and burgundy velvet comforter tickled his bare skin.

He thought about how his father yanked him through his kingdom to save him, an exhausting feat at best. He thought about how Percy followed him across state lines to make sure he was safe, how Anubis sat with him for hours teaching him how to play the greatest game in existance. With a jolt, he remembered one other person who'd miss him, who had been missing him for a while.

It had been weeks since Nico visited Bob. After they started getting close Nico let slip something he'd never told another being. He hadn't seemed disgusted or angry or even surprised, but Nico still couldn't bear to show his face to him again. Now though… somehow, after meeting Anubis, and talking to his dad, and everything else that had happened in the last few days, liking guys suddenly didn't seem like that big of a deal.

Bob's quarters in the Underworld were obviously far less lavish than Nico's, so the towering obsidian corridor walls were replaced with neverending white, one wall discernible from the next by nothing but touch. Nico ended up with a concussion the first time he made the journey. When at last he reached the blood-red door with a calligraphic Bob engraved in the center, he didn't even bother knocking before bursting in and greeting the titan with a real, full smile- his first one in days.

"Nico!" Bob cheered, "Why have you been away so long?" Normally Nico would come to visit almost daily. Bob had gotten used to his company, and had spent the last month and a half wondering if he'd done something wrong.

"I had some things to take care of," Nico replied vaguely. Bob was (for all intents and purposes) far too innocent to get mixed up in his stupid drama. He put a stick of spearmint gum in his mouth and, after offering a piece to the titan asked, "How've you been?"

"Lonely," he admitted, declining the gum and making Nico feel guilty. He must have noticed this because he quickly added, "But it was nice! I had plenty of time to think about past me." For whatever reason, Nico had trouble seeing how this was a good thing. It may have had something to due with the fact that "Past Bob" had tried to kill him and his friends last winter. He was relieved, therefore, when Bob confided, "I don't think I like him very much."

"It's not your fault; you were raised like that. I don't think past me would like present me very much either." Nico glanced around the room as he spoke, taking in subtle differences. Bob had gotten hold of an old FM radio, which was set to a smooth jazz station. Nico decided not to ask how it got a signal down there. There were a few fishing magazines on the dresser, and his bed now had an actual blanket. Whatever Bob's job was, he must have been good at it.

"So are you and Percy dating yet?" Bob asked innocently.

Nico, who had plopped back on the bed, almost choked on his gum. He'd hoped Bob would have forgotten or ignored that little tidbit, since he had taken the news like it was nothing. "I-I- uh, no. It- that's not going to happen, Bob. It just. No. Could you maybe forget I ever even mentioned Percy?"

"Do you not like him anymore?" Bob asked, completely unaware that he was internally murdering Nico.

"No, I do, it's just… It was stupid. It never could have worked."

"Why not? I thought he seemed pretty nice. Do you know when he's going to visit, by the way? Or Thalia? They said they'd come see me," Bob added sadly.

"Oh uh…" Nico stumbled, uncomfortable. He'd mentioned Bob to Percy a few times, but he'd always been waved off. He hadn't even seen Thalia since the war. "They've been really busy. Percy's been overseeing things at Camp Half-Blood. It's been a disaster there, and there's been a lot of new campers. He's really overwhelmed with making sure everyone fits in." Lie. Percy's been spending day in and day out making kissyface with Annabeth. "And Thalia's the first lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. She's constantly moving around the country, trying to recruit new girls." Or at least that's what Nico assumed they did. Tracking down innocent girls and convincing them to join their legion of the imminently deceased.

"Oh," Bob accepted, looking put out but not angry. Those two had better be grateful he was there to keep Bob company. "So what things have you been taking care of, exactly?"

Nico hesitated. If there was anybody he could trust, it would have to be Bob. And not just because he'd recently had his mind completely wiped and took almost anything you told him at face value. "You know Anubis? That Egyption god?" Bob nodded and Nico continued, "Well we were hanging out earlier today and we… I think he asked me out." Nico smiled sheepishly and bit his lip. He hadn't allowed himself to get excited before, still feeling like scum just for thinking about it, but fuck that he was happy.

"I don't know if I've ever met him," Bob confessed, "What's he like?"

"He's mostly really polite and firm and patient and…" Nico hesitated for a second before remembering who he was talking to. "Bob, he's really cute." He covered the lower half of his face with his hands as if trying to hide his ever-growing grin.

"Is he cuter than Percy?" the titan asked. Percy may not have been his type, but Nico obviously saw something in him.

Nico sat up and continued to chew on his lip. "That's not even a question," he answered quietly. Nobody was as beautiful as Percy. It was like asking if Ares was smarter than Athena.

"It just wasn't meant to be," Bob said soberly, clapping a hand on Nico's shoulder. And while it was one of the most overused, empty cliches ever spoken, it felt right. He tilted his head back to the ceiling, thinking about how stupid he was to have avoided Bob for so long. He could deal with the living for a few more decades if it meant he got to keep talking to Bob. And saving Percy's ass. And giving Hades attitude. And possibly maybe going out with Anubis.


End file.
